OPINION

Insurance enigma

Re: "TGH subsidiary ceases operation," (Business, Jan 27). The Bangkok Post reports on the sudden closure of Southeast Insurance company, owned by one of Thailand's richest families, apparently due to concerns about paying out Covid claims.

But the article is rather thin on important details, such as: When does this closure take effect -- immediately? Does this mean that existing insurance policies with Southeast Insurance are null and void -- leaving clients to scramble for new policies elsewhere?

Will Southeast Insurance refund existing premiums to its customers, or will these simply line the pockets of the owner (estimated net worth: US$10.5 billion)? How about a more informative follow-up article.

Re: "Grimaces replace smiles for retirees," (BP, Jan 24).

The deputy commander of the Immigration Department failed to answer the question "why" in your interview, but merely quoted regulations. That was no surprise. Can he say why it takes four hours to extend a retirement visa at Chiang Mai Immigration when you have lived here for 20 years and there are no changes in your circumstances?

Re: "Clear as air," (PostBag, Jan 26).

While I certainly agree that changes will need to be made to clean up the air pollution, I am afraid I am going to politely beg to differ with Kuldeep Nagi on the solutions being offered.

First of all, neither the affluent, nor the disabled, are giving up their private gas-powered vehicles, and initiating such draconian means might even initiate some kind of open revolt. Electric vehicles seem like a nice solution, but a quick Google search will show that many electric vehicles still need a lot of electricity, and over the past decade, that has translated into a global increase in coal-powered power plants and other polluting forms of electricity.

While many of today's electric vehicles don't belch fumes, the eventual rise in nuclear power to juice those vehicles up puts plenty of pollution into the environment. It just moves the pollution into someone else's backyard and increases the chances of what would be the yet another major nuclear accident in my remaining lifetime.

Perhaps what is best for Bangkok and many parts of Thailand with high air pollution is a "mid-term" plan. For example, we could do a lot by taking the diesel motors out of Bangkok's red buses and simply replacing those motors with gasoline/natural-gas powered motors until such time as we really do have better options. We could also offer more financial incentives for car-pooling in areas with consistently poor air quality. We could use limited AI to improve the efficiency of our traffic light system, and we could look at a long-term redesign of our roads for young, healthy people who can bicycle rather than use electric or gas-powered motorbikes.

However, with all due respect, if any reader thinks draconian measures can be used to stop the sale and use of motorcycles and cars, they are dreaming, and you'll still have even more pollution. Finally, if Covid taught us one thing, it was not that there is no time to waste, but rather that maybe it would be a good idea to use common sense and not engage in risky experiments which have been untried before.